Tuesday, September 3, 2013

VOCABULARY #3

Apostate: A person who has abandoned his/her religion, cause, or party
 The apostates were received badly in their colonies after changing their religion.

Effusive: Expressing feelings of gratitude or pleasure in an unrestrained or heartfelt manner.
 After 5 months traveling, the family reunited with a effusive embrace.

Impasse: A situation in which no progress is possible.
Before moving forward, the people getting a divorce must get through their impasse.

Euphoria: (n.) A feeling or state of intense happiness.
The title of Enrique Iglesias' CD was Euphoria; hinting that he was happy when he made the CD.

Lugubrious: Looking or sounding sad/dismal.
When the student saw the rejection letter, he entered a lugubrious state.

Bravado: A show of boldness intended to impress or intimidate.
People who are cocky usually have a big bravado.

Consensus: General agreement.
 In order to come to a decision, the president decided to have a consensus between the representatives.

Dichotomy: A division or contrast between two opposite things.
The dichotomy of being bilingual and bi cultural is often overlooked.

Constrict: To make narrower.
Snakes are well-known for their contraction abilities

Gothic: Relating to the Middle Ages (12th-16th century).
The novel of Frankenstein has some Gothic elements to it.

Punctilio: A fine point of conduct, ceremony, or procedure.


Metamorphosis: The procedure of transformation or alteration in appearance, form, etc.
The metamorphosis of a butterfly is usually used as a metaphor to something that changes.

Raconteur: A person who tells anecdotes in an amusing way.
When the teacher told his stories from  the summer, he sort of became a raconteur.

Sine qua non: An essential condition or element.
Wanting to learn is sine qua non of coming to school.

Quixotic: Exceedingly idealistic, unrealistic, and impractical.
The idea of going outside planet earth was quixotic when Galileo was alive .

Vendetta: A prolonged series of retaliatory, vengeful, or hostile acts or exchanges.
The gangs had a vendetta relationship with each other.

Non sequitur: A conclusion or statement that does not follow from the previous statement or argument.
Stating that you are entitled to your own opinion is a non sequitur to an argument.

Mystique: A fascinating aura or mystery or power surrounding someone or something.
The department of mysteries in the ministry of Magic has a mystique feeling to it.

Quagmire: A difficult or precarious situation; a predicament.
Before loaning money, make sure you will not be in a quagmire later on.

Parlous: Full of danger or uncertainty.
The prophecy had a parlous message.

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